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Saturday, September 21, 2013

Columbus appears to be over its handlebars for CoGo, the city’s newest bike share program.

Another move in Columbus’s courtship of the growing cyclist population, CoGo is an obvious step towards supporting pedal-powered travel: a $2-million-dollar bike share program, with special bikes located at 28 (soon to be 30) special “docking” stations across the city, available for anyone’s use at any time of day. The program is enticing for citizens who value non CO2-emitting transportation and healthful living, or cities that generally try to stay hip to metropolitan trends.

The first 300 CoGo bikes have the potential to change more than just the calves of Columbus’s public. They could be a profound step toward smoothing over tensions between classic archenemies in the world of transportation: People in Cars and People On Bikes.

But first, the basics:

Perks

To operate a CoGo bike feels like riding a stripped-down motorcycle. Passengers sit upright in an ample seat that is just as comfortable as it is skirt-friendly. They’re monsters, weighing in at 50 pounds, but are incredibly easy to pedal. Wide tires provide a smooth ride even when passing through German Village’s brick streets, and regularly tuned mechanics mean these cycles can move at a decent clip.

Other perks include a basket secured with bungee cords, three-speed (totally adequate for city travel), front and rear lights powered by pedaling, and a bell.

The real challenge: returning the bike to a CoGo station 30 minutes after plucking one from the dock.